To Save a World
This is an upcoming story regaurding a world very similar to that of Naruto. It is on a planet very far away so none of the normaly usd character may be part of this. This planet has technology but prefers not to use a lot of it as they find that they enjoy the simple life more. If you wish to join please comment below. They cannot be above tier VI. For more info just ask me. This will be open to all until I see fit to start. Prolouge "I have made a breakthrough!!!!" The night was calm and warm, not a thing was awake at this unearthly hour of the morning. In an underground building hidden from the world above sat a man. The only light in the room was provided by lights that should have died long ago running on what meagar a generator the man could find. This made sat hunched over a carcass, opened so that all organs could be seen. The blood glistened off the entrails in the dim light and the smell of copper was very pungent in the air. The man sat his tools down and walked over to his writing desk where he put down his observation...and his new discovery. The man laughed to himself, then the laugh became more and more insane and seemed to have no end. "Finally....finally, it is mine!" With that the man turned the lights off, after which the only things remaining to his sense was darkness, and the fading smell of copper. ---- Many Years Later A young man sat meditating on a mountain ledge overlooking the valley where his village laid. It had been quite a while sense he had come down from his spot. It was rare to see this young man do anything other than think. Yet, no one could say that we was lazy. The missions no others could do would always be relaid to him, and he never, ever failed. But, something had been troubling him lately. It was very calm, but unusually so. Even the animals seemed to be calm. There was too much...he couldnt put his finger on it. "Sigh, I cant meditate like this." The young man says while he stands up and walks down the path leading to his village. (Those who want to edit can edit under here.) The young man enters the village and looks around, wondering what he could do. The young man spots a shabby forturne teller's shack that was nearby. The owner of the stall immediately notices, and rushes up to the man. "Ah! A wanderer, I see!" the masked psychic said in a sing-song voice. "Would you like to see what's in store for you? You must wonder if riches, or love, or fame are in your future, yes?!?" The young man sighed. "Your not gonna let me just walk away are you?" "One must a living somehow." the masked man jested. "I assure you, my skills are genuine, though!" The young man thought to himself for a moment then sighed. "Fine." The psychic grinned behind his white mask, excited about his new customer. He grabbed the man by the arm and dragged him over a chair, guesturing for him to take a seat while he pulled out a strange stack of cards. Taking a seat the young man asked. "What are you gonna have me do for this?" "Nothing actually. But clearing your mind helps get the most accurate results... Try to do that for me." he explained while shuffling the cards. "Easy enough." Then the young man cleared his mind as he had done many times before for meditation. "Very good.... Now lets peer into your fate." the man said. He placed the top three cards infront of the young man, who could not decifer the runes on the page. "Interesting..." His blank mask flickered, then grew darker. Strange pictures began sprawling across the domino. "Fate... Trial... and Audience... The cards seem to beleive that you will destined for the stage, or show! Perhaps even-" A sudden gust of wind blew past, loosening the cards still in the deck of cards. The top card was blown off the pile and onto one of the three cards card. The psychic paused for a moment, and hestitantly flipped the card. "Doom..... Doom onto the Audience." he said erriely. "Forgive my impatience in the cards. I was wrong, previously...." The images on the man's mask began to flash and change quickly, and shutters of places and things you would see in your future moved by in a blur. "Your Fate, a grim one, will be to face many Trials, which may prove perilous. How you come to pass this trials will bring doom to the Audience, who are all those watching you." The man paused for a moment, and waited to see the young man's reaction. The young man thought for a moment. "Hm...your prediction must be bogus, I have never failed at anything, let alone let others get hurt. It seems as if your another fake." he said with very little emotion, as if its happened before. The visions on his mask suddenly disappeared. "A fake!?! I assure you, good sir; that I am the most genuine teller in all this land..." he started to put away his cards, but seemed to glare at the young man from behind his mask. He was quite mad about such an insult! "I didnt mean to insult you, I realize this is how you make your living, but your prediction doesnt seem to be possible." "It's very possible, though!" the man explained, "Do not be so quick to judge though... You can not choose your fate, but you can still shape it... Depending on your actions, you may not end up killing the Audience. It just so happens that you'll probably end up doing it anyway though..." The young man frowned for a moment. "Well, I must be off." "Wait... you're forgetting something.." the pyschic informed. "Ah yes, payment. How much do you require?" "For a telling like that? Usually, ten obsidian or so..." the pyschic said, "but I'll tell you what. The nature of your prediction isn't too great. We can agree on that... Instead of payment, how about you let me tag along with you... It'd really be bad for buisness if we all died, wouldn't it?" "True." The young man thought to himself. "Ok, you may come along with me. We will see if anything that would cause that would happen. But for now, I am hungry, how about finding a ramen bar?" "Sure. You're buying though!" the man jested. "What's your name, by the way?" "Atsuki." He said, "And fine. But seeing as Im not here much, you will need to lead the way." "Sure." the pyschic said, walking ahead of the other. Soon the two were at the closest ramen bar in town. After they both ordered and were waiting for their foo, Atsuki turned to the psychic. "I forgot to ask, what is your name?" "I was never given one." he answered, not seeming to upset. "Most people just call me, 'hey you' or something... some people took to calling me 'Fable' awhile back, but they're long gone now." "Huh, Fable eh? Then so be it Fable." Atsuki said with a smile.' "Sure." As the two ate Atsuki noticed a sad looking girl sitting by herself in the corner of the room. She was, in all honesty, quite a pathetic sight. Her hair dropped low, hiding her face from view. Her legs were made out of worn plastic and metal, and her entire right forearm was missing; her sleeve was tied off just above the elbow. In one word, she could adequately be described as 'broken'. She sat, quite alone, slightly hunched over in the corner, as if attempting to escape the intrusive stares of others. All of a sudden, a single thug comes through the doors of the ramen bar with two swords out in each hand. "Alright whimps, everyone give me your stones!!!" He yelled at everyone who was currently in the bar. All civilians started hand over the money. The psychic grinned behind his mask and continued eating in his stange fashion, so he could eat without removing his mask. He acted as if he didn't even notice the thugs. The girl almost felt her heart skip a beat. She curled up in her seat as well as she could, shaking, as if trying to shrink out of sight. The thug looked around at the people, all had given money except the girl and two young men at the counter, seeing the girl as the easier of the two options of getting more money the thug approached her and with his very thick hand picks her up with one arm by the troat, "Do you have any stones for me?" He asked with a very scary grin. The girl choked slightly, yet hung like a ragdoll, paralyzed with terror, and unable to speak. Her dark hair slid from over her face to reveal her wide, horrified green eyes and an even more disturbing sight; the entire right side of her face, down to her neck and shoulder was covered in a network of red scars that gave her skin the appearance of red, cracked earth. As soon as her face was revealed, she gave a small squeak of terror and attempted to move her only hand up to cover the wounds. Just as the thug was about to slap the girl and ask her for more money he felt a hand on his shoulder. As he turned he saw one of the young man had walked up to him. "Put her down." Atsuki said simply and calmly. "And whos gonna make me? You? Your nothing more than a arrogant teenager thats all." The thug replied as he hardend the grip he had on the girl. Before anyone saw anything or any movement a smaller version of a katana was placed at the mans throat. "I said, let her go." Quickly and without word the thug dropped the girl and ran out of the bar. "Just another baby." Atsuki said as he watched the thug run. Then he looked at the girl, she was obivously shy. "Would asking her if she's ok be a good idea?" he thought to himself. The girl lay, curled up on her half-arm, doing her best to hide the scarring on her face. The tips of her metal legs clanked against the floor as she trembled and shook. Out of courtesy for the girl, Atsuki bent down and gently lifted her up onto a chair, without looking at the scars on her face knowing that she didnt want anybody staring at them. After he had put her down and was heading back to his seat the thug burst in again, and this time with two additional thugs. "I tried taking the stones from you nicely but it seems like force is going to be needed to get somethin' out of ya'." The thug said looking at Atsuki. "No amount of your ninjaness or anything like it can help you now!" With that, the three thugs raced at Atsuki. Atsuki once again took out his wakizashi and prepared for the three to reach him. As the thug on the left, who was obviously the faster of the three, reached Atsuki swinging his sword Atsuki quikly parred the attack with his weapon and kneed the man in the gut cause him to bend over in pain. Atsuki then kicked the man to the floor in front of the original thug catching him by suprise and nearly caused him to trip and trample on his partner. Next came the thug on the right, bringing his mace down with all his might at Atsukis head, to which Atsuki simply stepped to the side to dodge and then turned so that his elbow connected with the face of the thug, causing the thug to fall backward. Then came the original thug swinging his two swords in an x like motion hopeing to prevent an secape route for Atsuki. Atsuki responded by jumping back just far enough to avoid the attack but the thug expected such a move and took another step swing both swords upward hopeing to cut right up though him. Atsuki took one step back, getting scraped by one of the swords cause the thug to grin. Faster than lightning Atsuki moved the man and the next thing the thug knew, there was a small blade in his chest, and Atsuki was in front of him. "Now, you die." With that Atsuki pulled his blade out and quickly slit the throat of the thug. A quiet gasp made itself heard; the girl stared at the scene, with her hair covering the right side of her face and her scars. Her left eye, which was not hidden, was widened in horror. Atsuki glanced in the direction of the girl then simply took a cloth out of a pounch on his side and used it to clean his bloodied blade. "I really hate his kind." He muttered to himself. He then turned to the man running the bar. "Take the other two to the hospital, they are not dead. Hopefully this was there last day of petty theft." He said then he sat down back at the counter and started to eat the remaining ramen. "Also," he motioned for the bar man again, "get that girl in the corner something to eat, she seems like she could use it." He said as he dropped a few obsidian pieces on the counter. Fable continued to chuckle to himself, and continued eating his ramen, silent throughout the whole encounter. The girl, meanwhile, looked as though she might have a heart-attack any second. Atsuki looks at Fable, "Lets go make sure that the frail girl is ok, she looks quite shaken." Atsuki walks up to the girl, "Are you feeling better?" He asked her very gently. The girl pressed a hand to her face to cover her scarring. "L-l-little better..." she stuttered. "Oh, don't be like that. You'll be better, real soon actually..." Fable informed. "Try saying it again, with confidence!" "...I... can't..." she murmured. "Hm....Well, if there is anything we can help you with feel free to let us know." Atsuki then turns to Fable, "You ready to go?" "Indeed." Fable replied. "Igottagodosomething!" the girl suddenly exclaimed, springing up and running out of the bar as quickly as her artificial legs could carry her. Atsuki looked at the girl as she ran out of the bar. "Whats up with her?" "It doesn't take a psychic to tell you that, Atsu'-chan. 'She'sgottodosomething' !" Fable mimiked. "Weren't you listening?" Moments later, a strange woman walked into the ramen bar. Her hair was red and cropped short, and two eyepatches covered each of her eyes. Her clothes seemed mismatched as well. Her demeanor was enough to attract stares from everyone in the room. "Er..." the bar-man said, bewildered by the woman's appearance, "can I... get you anything, ma'am?" "Oh, no, I'm fine, thank you, I'm just looking for someone," she replied ever so calmly. Fable snickered at the woman's comment. "And who would that be ma'am?" Atsuki asked. The woman turned towards the sound of Atsuki's voice. "Small, frail-looking girl, has two artificial legs..." "Ah, her. Just missed her. She ran out cause she had to go do something." Atsuki told the women. The woman sighed. "You scared her off, didn't you? Well, whatever. Now I have to find her. Which is going to be doubly hard, now that I'm wearing a couple of eyepatches." Without waiting for an answer, she spun around to leave, accidentally bowling into a hapless person and sending them both tumbling to the floor. Atsuki sighed at the woman and went over to her. "I didnt scare her, I saved her life." Then he knelt down and offered to help her up. "I see," the woman said, reaching out aimlessly until she found Atsuki's hand and let him pull her to her feet. "Saving a life is always good. Like ramen. Ramen is good, too." Atsuki gave a small smile. "Haha, yeah." "You fight alot?" the woman suddenly asked. Atsuki looked at her. "Whenever the situation requires it." "Ah, so you're one of those ninja. I could tell from feeling your hands." Fable stood back and observed the exchange. "You see," the woman began to explain, "the mere feel of the hand can reveal a lot about one person. Too bad most people become so skittish when I want to feel their hands..." "I can imagine why." Atsuki said under his breath. "Anyway, it's been a pleasure, really, but I've gotta go now. Perhaps we'll meet in the future, ninja-person. Then I can tell you about the sparkling snarglebargs. It's such an interesting tale." She turned around and after two steps ran face-first into the wall. Fable chuckled to himself, once again. Atsuki tunred to Fable. "Well, this has been strange...lets get out of here." And with that Atsuki turned to walk out of the ramen bar as well. "Yes, quite strange." Fable noted. "But important, none the less." After the two had walked out of the bar a young lad ran up to the two strange men. "Are you Atsuki?" The lad asked. "Yeah." Atsuki replied. "In that case the leader of the village has requested an audience with you." The lad informed. "And he would like to meet with you as soon as possible." Atsuki sighed. "Ok, lets go." ---- As the people neared the office that held the village leader the young lad turned around and looked at Fable. "Im sorry sir but you wont be able come in, its supposed to be just Atsuki and the leader, if you dont mind." With that Atsuki walked into the room with the lad and the door closed behind them. "Sir, I have brought the wandering ninja that you asked for!" The young man said to a man sitting behind a desk. The man was old, the silvery grey beard told Atsuki so, along with a wrinkled face. The mans eyes were sad, as if they saw more pain and suffering in peoples lives than they could bear, and the dark circles under them assured Atsuki that he had not had a lot of sleep. The corners of the mans mouth seemed to be pointed down as if he was extremely troubled by an issue. All in all, Atsuki thought the man seemed in poor shape. "Good," The man replied with a raspy voice. He turned to look at the lad, "You may leave to be with your family now." He said dissmissing the lad. Then he turned to Atsuki. "So your the wandering ninja, eh?" The old man looked him over. "You seem...younger than I expected, and a little small too." The man motioned for Atsuki to come closer. Once Atsuki was right in front of the man the old man motioned for him to sit down in one of the chairs in front of the desk. "Whats this about?" Atsuki asked the man. "A mission, if your up to it." The man simply replied. "What kind of mission." Atsuki inquired. The old man paused for a moment, as if wondering how to best put forth his informtation. Then he looked straight at Atsuki. ---- "I see." Atsuki said thoughtfully. "And Do I have to have partners for this mission? Normally they just hold me back." The man nodded. "Im sorry but in this case I think every person that goes with you counts." The man cleared his throat then continued talking, "I have chosen 2 that you have to bring with you, then you can choose anyone else you wish. The two I have given to you go by the names of Noriko and Osaze." Atsuki nodded, showing he heared. "You will need to find Noriko, but I have taken the Liberty of having Osaze brought here." The old man looked in the back corner of the room where Atsuki noticed a figure standing. "How long have you been here?" Atsuki asked the man, slightly shocked that he didnt notice him before. "The whole time." The figure said in a airy voice. When the man stepped out of the shadows he looked the man over and decided that he didnt seem like much. The man had long black hair tied into a ponytail in the back. His skin was slightly pale and he wore bandages over his eyes. The only thing that it seemed he wore was a hooded cloak that cover all of his body except his feet, where he wore flip flops. Atsuki sighed then looked back at the old man. "Do I really have to bring this blind man with me?" The old man nodded. "No begone. I have more stuff to take care of." ---- Atsuki stepped outside of the office and looked at Fable. Then Osaze came out as well. "Fable, I need to ask a favor of you." Atsuki said while he walked up to him. The Mission After much searching and asking around, Atsuki and the rest found where they heard that Noriko lived. It was a very sad looking shack with much rust and cracks in it. Atsuki knocked on the door hoping for an answer. The door swung open, and Atsuki was confronted by the same odd woman that he had met in the ramen bar just before he left, still wearing a pair of eyepatches over her eyes. "Yeah, whaddaya want? Who are you?" Atsuki looked the women over. "Ah, you. Yes, are you the one called Noriko?" "Maybe," she said. "But who the hell are you? Er... I'm not interesting in whatever you're sellin', you hear?" "No, Im not selling anything. I have a note from the village head for you. Its about a mission." Atsuki said as he pulled a note of of his pack. "Look pal, in case you haven't noticed, I'm practicing how to be blind here," Noriko said, gesturing to the bizarre eyepatches over her eyes. "How can you expect me to read anything? And what mission? Do I look like a ninja to you?" "I dont think the head leader would have told me to ask for your help if you were any run of the mill women. Especially for a mission like this." She sighed. "Fine, fine, come on in." She opened the door and ushered Atsuki and company into her house. They were greeted to the sight of a poor, empty living room with only a table and a moth-eaten sofa, upon which sat the crippled girl Atsuki had saved from the bandits earlier that day. Upon seeing him and his company, she gave a small squeal and darted into an adjacent room, her metal legs clanking with each step. "So your that one that takes care of her, I wondered how she was still alive." Atsuki said as he watched her run. "Now, will you read the note? Sorry, he has me on a bit of a time crunch." Noriko sighed, and lifted her eyepatches, revealing her blue eyes. She snatched up the note, skimming through it. "Do we get paid for this?" she finally asked. Atsuki nodded. "Yes, of course, and its going to be a very good amount. But the missions going to take a bit of time. And I dont know about bringing your friend." "Then I can't help you," Noriko said, becoming even more serious. "I can't abandon Azumi. Not again." "Hm....well..." Atsuki said, "Its a problem that she doesnt have an arm and I dont know if her shyness will help with the danger that is to come on this mission. Unless you think she can handle it." Atsuki thought for a moment. "Fine, She can come, but...she needs to get an arm, her not having an arm could cost us the mission." Osaze sturred in the back. "Are you sure thats a good idea Atsuki? After all, she probably has never fought, she could coast us the whole mission if we have to keep focusing oh her." Atsuki looked back at Osaze, "Well, thats why we should train her on the way to our destination then shouldnt we?" Osaze didnt say anything. Then Atsuki turned to Noriko, "Ill even pay for the arm if I have to. But you have to come. What do you say?" Noriko was rendered speechless. "You'd... really do that...?" Atsuki gave a small smile. "Yes, I do whatever it takes to make sure things go as planned, and to make sure people can live better lives." Osaze shifted in the back. As if the tenderness that Atsuki was expressing was going to make him sick. "Truth is," Noriko began, before looking over her shoulder into the room Azumi disappeared into before continuing, in a hushed voice, "I've been trying to save the money to give her advanced prosthetic limbs for over five years. But between taking care of her, myself, and going on missions that don't pay well, it's been... a rather difficult road. I'm hoping that the pay on this mission will be enough to finish this, and let me get her the best mechanical legs I can find. Poor girl," she muttered, looking over her shoulder again at Azumi's door. Atsuki nodded. "I understand, but this isnt just any mission, this is a difficult, well-paying mission. And Its time to go if we want to start the mission on time and still get that arm for you friend." Noriko nodded. "Understood. Difficulty is no problem for me." She turned to knock at Azumi's door but Azumi herself had already opened it. "Are we... leaving?" she asked Noriko in her hushed voice. "Yes," Noriko said. "But first, we're going to fix you an arm." "I... I see..."